Chapter 370: Southern Tomb (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 370: Southern Tomb (4)
Darkan, the leader of the Dark Elves, was reeling in utter disbelief.
According to the legends passed down through their generations, there was only one reason a Doppelgänger would self-destruct.
'Could it be... that it couldn't handle Roman Dmitry's power?'
He was astonished. It should have been impossible. Setting aside Roman Dmitry's reputation for a moment, a Doppelgänger was not something that could be judged by the standards of the mortal world. It was fundamentally different from ordinary living creatures. According to Dark Elf records, they had once captured a beast that had fallen through a dimensional rift from the Demon Realm. That creature was a Doppelgänger.
A creature of the Demon Realm.
A demonic beast.
The problem was that this beast wielded considerable influence even within its home realm.
'Doppelgängers are exiles of the Demon Realm. Their own greed drove them to the brink of extinction.'
A long, long time ago, the Doppelgängers committed an unforgivable sin.
In the Demon Realm, demonic creatures were nothing more than lowly beasts. The trouble began when a single Doppelgänger absorbed the power of a true demon. It learned to think for itself. It gained immense power. Starting with that first anomaly, the Doppelgängers began devouring the power of demons one after another, seeking to transcend their lowly status.
As a result, they were slaughtered.
To be precise, a few managed to escape through a dimensional rift. By sheer coincidence, they plummeted into the territory of the Dark Elves and were enslaved. This was a truth about Doppelgängers that the rest of the world would never know. Therefore, while the onlookers were merely surprised, Darkan's shock was on an entirely different level.
'...To think a Doppelgänger, a creature capable of absorbing the power of a true demon, collapsed simply because it couldn't handle the sheer power of a human like Roman Dmitry.'
It was undeniable. This was the collapse phenomenon of a Doppelgänger.
The Dark Elves had conducted extensive experiments on their captured Doppelgängers. The results proved that they would undergo cellular collapse if they absorbed a power too immense for their bodies to contain. What did that mean? It meant that a Doppelgänger, which could withstand the corrupting aura of a demon, could not endure the might of Roman Dmitry—a man who was supposedly just human.
Darkan was dazed. It was utterly unbelievable. He knew Roman was a being blessed by the World Tree, but he had never imagined a human like this could exist in the mortal world. It was staggering. Darkan stared blankly at Roman Dmitry. The moment their eyes met, he hastily bowed his head.
"O Savior. The Doppelgänger has self-destructed, unable to handle your power. You have passed the trial. No one will dare object to this result."
Rustle.
The Dark Elves parted, opening a path.
The Trial of the Mirror. This was absolute proof that he had passed legitimately.
Roman Dmitry turned his head, looking at the warriors of Valhalla who had still not fully grasped the situation.
"I will now enter the Southern Tomb. If anyone doubts this result, step forward now."
No one stepped forward.
They, too, had seen it clearly. Roman Dmitry had crushed countless challengers with overwhelming might, and in the final Trial of the Mirror, he had forced the shocking self-destruction of his opponent. There was no need for the Dark Elves to explain. The results spoke for themselves. Roman Dmitry had unequivocally proven his right to uncover the truth of Valhalla.
He turned away. The tournament had lost all meaning.
Roman Dmitry walked forward. Once he and his soldiers passed through, the Dark Elves blocked the path, a silent declaration that no one else would be permitted to enter.
* * *
The Southern Tomb.
It was located deep beneath the stage of the trial. Darkan personally took charge of guiding them.
Upon reaching a specific threshold, Darkan turned to the soldiers following Roman Dmitry.
"From this point on, only the qualified may enter. Wait here."
They accepted the command. For this journey to Valhalla, Roman had brought only Chris, Kevin, and a handful of his private soldiers. They didn't even blink at Darkan's words, but the moment Roman Dmitry gave them a nod, they immediately formed a perimeter and stood guard.
The two resumed their walk.
Before long, they arrived at their destination. Staring into the space shrouded in heavy darkness, Darkan bowed.
"I pray that the Savior finds what he seeks."
"You have done well."
Roman stepped inside.
Instantly, a wave of magical energy swept over his body. Roman Dmitry instinctively prepared to rouse his mana to block it, but quickly realized this was the Southern Tomb's verification process. The Southern Tomb wasn't hidden. It was a place anyone could reach if they were determined enough, which was exactly why the ancestors of Valhalla had established foolproof defenses. While the Warrior's Trial was the legitimate method of entry, this wave of mana was a final security measure meant to verify the intruder's identity and determine whether to eradicate them on the spot.
The result, of course, was a pass.
As the mana faded, Roman Dmitry walked deeper into the darkness.
The underground cavern plunged incredibly deep. Only after walking for a long time did he finally encounter a massive gate blocking his path, flanked by giant stone statues.
The statues were menacing. Standing seven to eight meters tall, they possessed the muscular builds of Valhalla's greatest warriors and gripped massive weapons suited to their colossal size. If the first barrier relied on magical verification, this place demonstrated the Valhalla Empire's sheer resolve to crush the unqualified through brute physical force.
Creeeak. Creak.
The statues slowly turned their massive heads. Their glowing red eyes locked onto Roman Dmitry.
[...Those with impure intentions... cannot pass through here.]
Their heavy voices reverberated through the cavern. A dense energy rose from their stone bodies, scanning Roman Dmitry in meticulous detail.
[...Qualification confirmed... We shall open the path.]
Thud. Thud.
The giant statues moved. They grabbed the heavy handles of the gate and pulled them apart with tremendous might.
Ruuuumble!
The gate slowly groaned open.
Finally, the moment had come to step into the truth of Valhalla, a secret shrouded in centuries of mystery.
The interior was much simpler than he expected. It was an underground cavern carved out for a singular purpose, divided into two main areas: the ossuary where the remains of Valhalla's emperors were enshrined, and a grand archive recording their legacies. Roman Dmitry had no reason to inspect the ossuary. He headed straight for the archive.
In a space much smaller than he had anticipated, documents presumed to have been left by the past emperors were neatly organized by category on dusty bookshelves.
Among them, Roman Dmitry selected a single record.
[Canellas Valhalla]
The first record. This was the very man who had propelled Valhalla into an empire and created the Southern Tomb.
* * *
The Southern Tomb.
The reason for its creation had absolutely nothing to do with martial enlightenment. The record left by Canellas Valhalla made its true purpose abundantly clear from the very first line.
[I needed a space to leave the truth of Valhalla for future generations. The Southern Tomb was created for this sole purpose, and none but those of royal blood shall ever enter. The only exception is those who have passed the trial. Deemed to possess the qualifications of true warriors of Valhalla, they shall be specially permitted to look upon the truths we accumulate through the generations.]
The truth.
It was exactly as Carlos had said. He had claimed that Valhalla's history—its ugliest truth—lay buried here.
[The true starting point of Valhalla being recognized as an empire was our war with the Hector Kingdom. By defeating Hector, which was classified as a major power at the time, the world evaluated Valhalla as possessing a potential comparable to the Kronos Empire. My thoughts were no different. I believed that we had merely been confined to the harsh environment of the Southern Jungle, and that no nation on the Salamander Continent could ever defeat us. However, it did not take long for my arrogance to be shattered to pieces.]
It was strange. Writing naturally reflects the emotions of its author, and Canellas Valhalla's words carried a faint, lingering trace of fear.
[One day, the Kronos Empire sent an envoy. They showed us a mere 'fraction' of the power they possessed, and in that exact moment, I realized that Valhalla's strength could never match the Kronos Empire. Yet, strangely, the Kronos Empire did not wish for Valhalla's destruction. They proposed that we coexist as the two great pillars of the continent, forging a secret, unrevealed cooperative relationship. For me, there was no refusing that offer. The price of refusal would undoubtedly be Valhalla's ruin. Even as our people celebrated the rise of the glorious Valhalla Empire, we were secretly shaking Kronos's filthy hand.]
It was a shocking revelation.
The now-deceased Emperor of Valhalla... People had long suspected a connection between the former emperor and the Kronos Empire, but according to Canellas Valhalla's records, this subservient relationship had persisted since the empire's founding.
If this fact were ever revealed to the world, it would cause an absolute uproar. Though it had been forced upon them, the undeniable truth was that the Valhalla Empire, hailed far and wide as one of the continent's two great pillars, had actually been kneeling before the Kronos Empire the entire time.
And this was only the beginning.
He had only read a small portion, but he could already understand why Carlos had called it an ugly truth. Yet, this shocking revelation was merely the prologue.
[Valhalla needed time. Time to build the strength to oppose the Kronos Empire and protect ourselves from their looming threats. But not long after we signed the treaty, the Kronos Empire approached Valhalla with a proposal: to systematically create a structure that would marginalize every other nation on the continent except our two empires. This absolutely required Valhalla's cooperation, because the foundation of this system stemmed directly from Valhalla's traditions.]
And then:
[Thus, the ranking system was born.]
* * *
This completely contradicted the truth known to the public.
The people of the world believed that the ranking system had emerged naturally from Valhalla's long-standing tradition of martial competition and record-keeping. The reality, however, was that the Kronos Empire's proposal had weaponized it into a concrete system.
In fact, Roman Dmitry had harbored his own doubts about this in the past. While ordinary people accepted the existing system at face value, looking closely at the details inevitably raised logical questions about its inception.
It was a simple question. Think about it: which country benefited the most from the ranking system?
It was the Valhalla Empire.
By managing the rankings through their temple, the Valhalla Empire gained the opportunity to monopolize outstanding talents before anyone else. Roman Dmitry himself had received a scouting offer from the Valhalla Empire. The issue was that the Kronos Empire was well aware of this advantage, yet they stood by and allowed the ranking system to establish itself across the continent.
No, they had actively supported it.
By adopting the ranking system themselves, they willingly revealed their empire's strongest warriors to the world.
[The Kronos Empire stated that there were two benefits they would gain from the ranking system. First, it would indirectly display their empire's military might to bind the kingdoms of the continent in fear. Second, it would allow them to preemptively secure talents emerging across the continent. We accepted their proposal. We established the ranking system under the guise of Valhalla's traditions, and those rankings instantly became the pride of Valhalla.]
The information obtained through the rankings... It was being shared with Kronos.
This meant the ranking system was never solely for Valhalla's benefit; the Kronos Empire was reaping the rewards from the shadows.
[The descendants of Valhalla will be deeply disappointed by this record. They will be angered and driven to despair by the fact that Valhalla's great pride actually stemmed from such a pathetic reality. However, the reason I leave this record is because only by knowing the truth can we ever oppose the ambitions of the Kronos Empire. Even back when they first threatened Valhalla, the Kronos Empire already possessed the power to conquer the continent. Yet, they did not reveal their true strength, and I firmly believe they have a clear, insidious purpose for doing so. Descendants of Valhalla, though I knelt before the power of Kronos, I pray that you will lead Valhalla in the right direction.]
With that, Canellas Valhalla's record ended.
* * *
It was a heavy, complex truth.
The fact that Kronos had secretly intervened in Valhalla's history. The fact that Canellas Valhalla had created the Southern Tomb out of desperate concern for Valhalla's future.
The problem was, this alone did not fully resolve Roman's doubts.
Roman Dmitry had visited this place to discover the real reason why the former Emperor of Valhalla had died so helplessly in a rebellion.
'It is possible that after Canellas Valhalla's death, the Kronos Empire completely took over the Valhalla imperial court. According to his records, it is highly plausible. But that alone cannot explain the former emperor's death.'
The former emperor's death... Neither the ancestors of Valhalla nor the Kronos Empire benefited from it.
If the ancestors had wanted Valhalla's revival, the former emperor would never have been allowed to ascend to the throne in the first place. Conversely, it made no sense for the Kronos Empire to have orchestrated the rebellion, as they had no reason to kill him. The Emperor of Valhalla was clearly hostile toward Roman Dmitry. If Kronos abandoned him and placed Duke Vieto on the throne, they would inevitably have to face the Valhalla-Dmitry Alliance in the future.
Was there any need to take such a massive risk?
If they had simply managed their puppet, the Emperor of Valhalla, achieving their goals would have been infinitely easier.
It was a succession of mysteries. Who had placed the 14th Son on the throne? And what was the reason for abandoning him after going through so much trouble to make him emperor?
There was undoubtedly a hidden mastermind behind all of this. Without the existence of a third party pulling the strings, nothing about the former Emperor of Valhalla's actions or death made any sense.
Tap.
He picked up another document. It belonged to none other than:
[Cortez Valhalla]
The father of the former emperor. The record of the man closest to the truth—the man who had made the 14th Son the emperor through the bloody, complex process of a rebellion.